Tagged: Opening Day

Hi, my name is Jackie. I am a Kaz-aholic. Yes, I am a Red Sox fan but in September 2004, I noticed this young pitcher, a lefty, pitch against Pedro and I was hooked. I just can’t get enough of watching this guy pitch. I don’t know what it is. I call it his dance; that fluid motion as he executes his wind-up and release. That leg; the way it always follows in the same manner, every pitch. I compare it to watching Mikhail Baryshnikov dance. I could watch this guy pitch every day.

Problem here is he’s a pitcher on the ‘Devil’ Rays. Yup. That team that went from worst to first. Yup. The one that beat the Red Sox in the ALCS in 2008 to go on to lose to the Phillies in last season’s World Series. So you are asking yourself, what on earth does this have to do with Opening Day? Well I will tell you.

At the end of last season we found out that the Red Sox would open the 2009 season at home against the Rays. Pretty much everyone I know knows how much I love to see the RS play that team. My friend and I made a pack that we would do the RS Destinations trip for the Opener at Fenway. This would alleviate us trying for decent OD tickets because we’d get the whole series from the Destinations package. Well, come to find out, the tickets that are offered in the package were, well let’s just say somewhat questionable. When you’re talking early April in Boston, weather equals comfort. So we hemmed-and-hawed, and apparently to the right person, because another one of our friends was able to get us beautiful seats for Opening Day when tickets went on sale. (Thanks again, Strat!).

Now, I usually don’t have any interest in Opening Day; been there, done that. Though I haven’t been for years, I could care less about being there. After the 2004 World Series, I tried to get tickets to the 2005 Opening Day Ring Ceremony and couldn’t so, just like a woman scorned; I usually don’t want anything to do with OD. But this year it was different. I made a pack with my friend, and besides, the RS are hosting those ‘Devils.’ All of the friends from LN see Opening Day as a holiday and have a ritual that goes along with it. This year I would go.

Opening Day in Fenway was scheduled for Monday, April 6, with Tuesday being an off-day. April 6 is pretty early to start baseball in Boston. The off-day was scheduled more like a rain date and for good reason.

As the ritual goes, LN meets before the game at BBT the last day of the season, and BBW on Opening Day. Our friends were coming from TN, NJ, NY, NH, RI, CT and of course, areas of MA. All week they were calling for rain, but we all know, it can’t rain on Opening Day. I had faith. Well, I was wrong, it can rain on Opening Day, and it did.

As everyone was meeting at BBW, I was driving through Natick, still on the highway on my way to Boston. This is when my phone began to ring; and ring; and ring, and ring. Everyone (and their brother) called to let me know the news: Larry Lucchino just announced that because of the dismal weather outlook for today, Opening Day was going to be played on Tuesday instead. Just as we heard the news, the sun began to break through the thick cloud cover over Natick. O.K., was this going to be like when they cancel school in town because there MIGHT be snow, and it ends up raining? I know the weather was questionable but it not only hadn’t started raining, it actually looked as though it would clear up.

We arrived in Boston (165 miles on Monday), and met up with LN at BBW. Everyone was there. It was wonderful to see everyone together. Though we had just seen each other in February, it still was nice to see everyone. In my less-than-humble-opinion, it was a terrible off-season. Baseball news seemed flat and dismal; there was a tumultuous period for me in the off-season, one (or two) which have been since ironed out. But overall, it was uneasy and problematic. Bottom-line: Baseball couldn’t come soon enough!

Of course, the topic of the day was who was going tomorrow and who wasn’t, and who wasn’t, what to do with their tickets. The irony was, the folks who looked so forward to attending Opening Day, were the ones who couldn’t work out coming back on Tuesday. As wonderful as it was to see everyone, it was a sad, dismal day.

And then the rains came. When it rained, it rained hard. The Red Sox made the right decision this time. They made the call early enough for people to make alternate plans. I’ve been one to complain that they often hold you hostage at Fenway, not telling you what their plans are just to keep selling you beer and food. But not today.

Someday’s I like rain; other’s I don’t. Today I don’t. Opening Day 2009 will have to wait until tomorrow. The long-awaited Beckett / Shields match up will happen tomorrow. I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it.

I joke to the folks in the grocery store that are behind me in line that they should have chosen another line. It never fails. The person in front of me will always need a rain check. Or the $1.99 item is ringing up as $2.09. Or one of her eggs is cracked and the less-than-competent-paper-or-plastic bagger runs back to the egg department to get a replacement egg and loses their way either there or back. Surely, the only reason this is happening because I’m in line.

I’ve always been this way. I use to think I had a sign on my back that said, “Give me a hard time.” It’s really not a fun way to go through life. Trust me. Even my friends give me a hard time for their own enjoyment.Sometimes I’d hate to see how I’d be treated if I wasn’t liked. 😦

Right when I thought I had it all figured out, it’s happening AGAIN! I think the conceptstarted with the Red Sox, or maybe it didn’t and that I was only paying to them, I’m talking about these ticket lotteries that the teams make you win in order to allow you to buy premium game tickets. Yea, the coveted Opening Day tickets, or any rivalry game, or in a lot of cases now, any games with the Red Sox. So if you are planning to travel outside of Boston to see a series at another stadium, you have to win their lottery just to get a ticket. Forget bringing a family because usually they will only allow to buy two tickets to one game.

Since 1993 I have had dial-up service with AOL, who of course offered their email accounts. I initially paid for AOL, then, in their infinite wisdom, they restructured and offered free email because cable and DSL were everywhere. At that time, I started having screwy things happen to my email. Then Comcast internet came to our little town, I switched. Uuuugggg! Anyone who has Comcast knows what I’m talking about. I don’t use high spam filters because I want to be the one censoring my email, not Comcast. Well they do anyway. I don’t understand what happens to all those emails! So, I apply for these lotteries and I never get my emails saying I’m a winner or loser. I just plain don’t get them at all. I figured instead of changing Comcast, I’d ignore them and just not use their email for important things. I changed my email to a Yahoo! account thinkingthat is safe.

Here we go AGAIN. Now I’m not getting my notifications from through my Yahoo! account. Apparently Comcast has it all figured out but I don’t trust them. The old “fool me once…” thing. Once bitten, twice shy. (How many other clichés can I think of?) I can forgive, I just can’t ever forget.

But this is just unbelievable! Again, where are they storing my email. It’s not in my inbox. It’s not bad enough that I never win these darn lotteries but I at least want my loser emails. Being the dreamer I am, I always have a shred of hope that maybe my luck will change just once. Just once. The worst part is, is there is no recourse. I could have been a winner and just don’t know it. O.K., maybe not. I know just thinking of me winning is a stretch but it could happen; no, really. My hands are tied. You can’t call the Red Sox; they don’t know or care. You can’t call Yahoo!; they don’t know or care. You can’t call MLB; they don’t know or care.

So where does this leave me this season? Little to no chance for a pair of Opening Day tickets. Little to no chance for a pair of rivalry tickets. Little to no chance to sit atop the monster or Bud roof. I cry foul.

It’s finally here! We’ve been seeing the bumper sticker for years now. Some of us have been waiting with baited breath. I’m not going to go political on you, so don’t worry.

When Barack Obama first came on the scene, my initial impression was,“WOW, how cool is he? This guy’s a baseball fan!” It seemed to me he wore a White Sox hat everywhere; every picture I saw him in. Sure, he’s not a Red Sox fan but I can deal with that. But he’s the real deal. He’s not sportin’ a White Sox hat for a photo op, like some. He’s a fan, not an owner. He interest is in the sport itself. You know, the great American past-time?

Not only is he a fan, he’s a fan of an intense cross-town rivalry. Not so much that the teams are great rivals of each other (like being in Connecticut, in the cross-fire of the Boston / NY rivalry) since they are in different divisions, it seems really the fans that are rivals in their city. You gotta’ love the guy’s conviction. Apparently he chose his alliance years ago.

Plus, if you notice, Barack Obama has one of the older-style White Sox hats and apparently he’s not ready to trade it in for a newer one. We all have our hats that we love more than others. You know? The lucky hat. The one that has been to the games with you through thick and thin. The one that have been with you on Opening Day and have seen two no-hitters. The ones that wentwith you to Game 5 miracle. The one you cry into. The one you hold over yourheart during the National Anthem.

I love baseball and it will be a welcome change to have a president that seems to love it for the same reasons I do. Go Red Sox!